Wanted: Pregnant mothers with autism, or with a child with autism:

Cambridge Ultrasound Sibling and Parent Study (CUSP)

Are you a pregnant mum with an autism spectrum condition (autism for short) who is happy to have an extra 3D ultrasound scan around 26-29 weeks of pregnancy? This study is observing the early development of the baby in pregnancies where the mother has autism, compared to pregnancies where the mother has no diagnosis of autism.

We are also including pregnant mothers who do not have autism but who have a child with autism.

We will test potential fetal, newborn, and toddler 'biomarkers' that may be predictive of autism in your child. The prevalence of autism is about 1% in the general population, and we know that having an older sibling with autism increases the likelihood of autism in a new pregnancy. This means that if you are a mother with autism, or if you are a mother with an older child with autism, your new baby may also be at increased genetic likelihood of developing autism too.

If you decide to participate, you will be invited for a 3D ultrasound scan at the Rosie Maternity Hospital in Cambridge. If you live in the UK or indeed in Europe we can pay for you to visit Cambridge, and we will reimburse all travel expenses and hotel accommodation, and you will receive an additional £20/visit for the follow-up visit when your child is 24 months old. Postal questionnaires will also be sent to you when your child is 18 months old to see how he/she is growing up. A cheque will be sent to you after each visit.

Additionally we will provide a picture of your baby from your 3D ultrasound scan, as a thank you for taking part.

We are not doing this research with the aim of prenatal screening or with a view to termination, since this does not align with our ethical values of respecting autistic people. The aim is to see if we can predict which babies will develop autism from their early brain and behaviour measures. In the future, we hope that this information will help to ensure support for babies and young children from an earlier age.

If you are interested in finding out more about this study or would like to take part, please contact Ezra Aydin, by email ([email protected]) or by telephone 0044 1223 465222.